Vegan Peppermint Chocolate Cupcakes

It’s getting holly and jolly in my kitchen, and I’m loving it! Holiday movies are being watched, gift shopping is almost complete, parties are being planned, and bells are being jingled. Ok, well no bells are being jingled, because I don’t actually have any bells to jingle, but they’re jingling in spirit.

I have loved holiday baking ever since I was a kid- an excuse to eat lots of sugary things, you betcha! I was inspired to make Vegan Peppermint Chocolate Cupcakes after speaking at Vegfest London, where I saw a stand that was selling similar cupcakes. (I forget the name of the vendor, so apologies for that, please inform me if you know). I didn’t have time to pick up a cupcake to nosh on while I was there, so you better believe the first thing I did when I got home was whip up my own version.

Am I ever glad I did!!! Mint chocolate is one of my all time favourite combos. I have my cupboard stocked with Stash mint chocolate tea at all times (I’ve confirmed with Stash that it’s vegan, woot!). So it’s not surprising that I fell deeply and madly in love with my Vegan Peppermint Chocolate Cupcakes. Sweet, chocolatey, and a hint of minty freshness. Yum seems like a simple way to describe them, but when you take a bite, that’s exactly what you’ll say, an enthusiastic “YUM!!!!”

For the cake, I adapted my Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe to make a rich, chocolatey cupcakes with just a hint of peppermint. Then, I topped them with peppermint infused frosting, and sprinkled them with crushed candy cane, which is not only pretty, but I love the little crunch it adds.

You better believe these cupcakes taste just as yummy as they look. Friends visited while I had these displayed, and lets just say, they didn’t last long.

To make Vegan Peppermint Chocolate Cupcakes: in a large bowl whisk together all of the dry ingredients.

In a medium bowl whisk together all of the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Don’t over mix, lumps are totally cool.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

Use a stand or hand mixer, whip together the vegan butter, vegetable shortening, powdered sugar, peppermint extract, and vanilla extract. If the frosting is a bit too stiff, add 1 to 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk as needed until desired consistency is reached.

For the crushed candy canes, unwrap 5 candy cans and put them in a sealable bag. I used a rolling pin to lightly whack and roll over the candy canes breaking them into small pieces.

Decorate the cupcakes using pastry bag or spatula to frost the cupcakes. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes.

For the cupcakes: preheat your oven to 350F (180C). Line a cupcake pan with 12 parchment paper cupcake liners.

In a large bowl whisk together all of the dry ingredients.

In a medium bowl whisk together all of the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Don't over mix, lumps are totally cool. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting: use a stand or hand mixer, whip together the vegan butter, vegetable shortening, powdered sugar, peppermint extract, and vanilla extract. If the frosting is a bit too stiff, add 1 to 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk as needed until desired consistency is reached.

To decorate the cupcakes: use a pastry bag or spatula to frost the cupcakes. Decorate by sprinkling with crushed candy canes.

Hi Sam! So I really want to put this recipe together with your ultimate vegan chocolate cake to make a chocolate peppermint cake as I just prefer layer cakes to cupcakes. Any suggestions on how this might work?. By the way, the ultimate cake is AAHHMAAAZING, so I’m sure these cupcakes are as well!! 🙂

Thank you! It’s pretty much the same recipe just with peppermint extract added. 12 cupcakes = a 1 layer cake. So you could just double it to make a two layer cake. Follow the baking times on the chocolate cake recipe. Enjoy!

Thank you!! I didn’t realize that it was literally just double this recipe. I wanted to let you know that we made it and it was so delicious!! There’s just enough peppermint to make it refreshing and winterlike but not so much that it takes away from the chocolate. Absolute perfection if you ask me! Thanks again for another awesome recipe! <3

I made these yesterday (without the peppermint as I didn’t have any). My family all asked for the recipe and were raving about them. They took next to no effort and the result was a light not overly sweet but still chocolatey cupcake. This recipe is a definite keeper. Thank you!

Vegan butter will work best. You can use coconut oil, but the frosting will lack in the buttery flavour, and also coconut oil melts fairly easily. So make sure to keep the frosting and tools cold and store the cake in a cool place. Enjoy!

These are delicious. My kids were not crazy about them, but I think they want a chocolate cupcake to taste like a chocolate cupcake. Oh well, you can’t account for everyone’s taste. I made them for a family with a new baby and the mom asked for the recipe.

Absolutely delicious! I made these cupcakes over the weekend and they disappeared! I had my doubts because the batter consistency wasn’t what I was used to. They turned out perfectly moist and tasty. My husband said they were better than the ones we buy at a local vegan restaurant. Thank you!!!!

These look delicious. Thanks!
For those of us who are oil-free, can we substitute apple sauce for the oil in the wet ingredients?
And do you happen to have a frosting recipe that doesn’t use shortening?
Thanks again!

I made something similar last Christmas, but without frosting. I sprinkled crushed candy cane on the tops a few hours before serving and the candy cane melted! They tasted delicious but looked….not good (puddles of melted candy cane pooling on top)
Does the candy cane melt into the frosting?

Hi Paige! Nope, that doesn’t happen here. The cupcakes are cooled completely before frosting and the candy cane is added. I had mine for a couple of days and the candy canes were still perfect and crunchy 🙂

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I'm Sam, welcome to my blog! Here you'll find my favourite fuss-free vegan recipes. You might be surprised to hear that the moment I decided I was going to go vegan, I was completely and utterly bummed about it. Here's my story →

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